India’s aviation regulator DGCA has issued a strong show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO after massive flight cancellations caused chaos at major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. The government has held IndiGo responsible for the widespread disruption that left thousands of passengers stranded over the past three days. The notice questions why action should not be taken against the airline and its top executive for failing to manage operations efficiently.
According to the DGCA, IndiGo did not comply with crucial rules related to planning, supervision and resource management. The regulator said the CEO is directly accountable for ensuring smooth airline operations but failed to provide proper oversight. IndiGo has been given 24 hours to submit a satisfactory explanation, failing which the airline could face heavy penalties.
Officials said many scheduled IndiGo flights developed serious operational issues, forcing large-scale cancellations. The primary reason was the airline’s lack of preparation to implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules, which required better planning and timely arrangement of pilots and crew. DGCA noted that IndiGo did not make adequate logistical arrangements nor did it alert passengers in time about delays or cancellations, violating mandatory guidelines meant to protect passengers’ rights.
The regulator stated that IndiGo’s poor planning highlighted severe gaps in monitoring and resource allocation. Passengers were neither informed properly nor provided necessary support during the disruption. The government has indicated that it is ready to take strict action to prevent such operational failures in the future.